With the 2024 Paris Games almost ending, technology has become indispensable for maximising athlete performance. It has transformed how athletes train. Performance Data Management Software (PDMS) is a sophisticated software platform for elite athletes and their support teams. It gathers a wide range of data from athletes such as medical records, daily athlete input training and objective measurements from sensors and wearable devices. Analysing this combined data provides coaches and medical staff with a complete picture of an athlete’s journey and progress over time.
PDMS goes beyond tracking metrics. It uses data to tell an athlete’s preparation story, enabling better decision-making for elite-level performance. PDMS also leverages subjective data such as personal input from athletes to deliver more of an objective data analysis. This provides increased accuracy for decision making, injury prevention, training effectiveness and tailoring recovery and performance plans.
Following the success of TeamGB at the London 2012 Games, the English Institute of Sport (EIS) was determined to pursue ways to sustain medal success. The head of Athlete Health at EIS, Glenn Hunter, explained that the system they were originally relying on could not capture the full range of data needed to drive good decision-making by support staff. This prompted EIS to enlist help from a leading UK software development agency, Rocketmakers.
One of Team GB’s Paris Gold medallists, Bryony Page, credits the PDMS app as a game changer in her Olympic journey. This innovative tool has revolutionised her training regimen, playing a pivotal role in her victory in women’s trampolining. Bryony enthusiastically shares that the PDMS app enables her to adapt and fine-tune her training routines, directly contributing to her Olympic success.
In collaboration with Team GB athletes, Rocketmakers developed an accredited app and system called the Performance Data Management System which is used to track athletes’ health and performance. This app harnesses powerful data processing assets to identify patterns and areas for improvement. A specific use case of the PDMS application was during preparations for the Tokyo 2020 games, analysing how respiratory illnesses caused major setbacks during the competition. The solution has also been essential when empowering GB athletes to be on top form for the Paris 2024 games.
PDMS has become an integral part of elite athlete training and management in Britain. It has been credited for its contribution to Team GB’s record performance at the 2016 Rio Games, the 2020 Tokyo Games and now the 2024 Paris Games.
